August 25, 2015

My 770sqft: Tour a Media Executive’s Urban Zen Upper West Side Apartment

Our ongoing series “My sqft” checks out the homes of 6sqft’s friends, family and fellow New Yorkers across all the boroughs. Our latest interior adventure brings us to the Upper West Side. Want to see your home featured here? Get in touch! Carlos Alimurung has been calling Manhattan home for nearly all of his life; he's lived in Midtown East, the West Village, and today he can be found in the Upper West Side. But for Carlos, the neighborhood is more than just a place to lay his head. Rather, he feels a very special connection with it: his parents met at a party there in the 1970s and he has fond memories of eating freshly sliced hot pastrami at Zabar's as a kid. As such, in 2007, while hunting for a new home to settle into, Carlos decided to replant his roots along 88th Street in a one-bedroom apartment in a pre-war condo conversion. As a media executive and a passionate traveler, Carlos has been around the globe and back, collecting art, baubles and all sorts of worldly items along the way. But while world travelers are often susceptible to hoarding goods, Carlos has created an ultra-zen space in the city that feels like a museum without all the "do not touch" signs. From the South American and Asian artifacts he's collected during his expat days to mementos from his parents' time living in NYC to gifts from the friends he's met on his journeys, see how this cultured minimalist has outfitted his 770-square-foot Upper West Side pad.
Tour this well-traveled residence
August 25, 2015

Construction Ramps Up on Far West Side Mega-Rental at the Foot of Bjarke’s Ski Slope

Site excavation continues on TF Cornerstone's (TFC) mammoth 42-story rental development at 606 West 57th Street between Eleventh Avenue and the West Side Highway. Midtown's 57th Street has become synonymous with superlative titles, with the tallest, the thinnest, most expensive, and, arguably, some of the most exciting high-rises the city has seen in decades. At the far west end of the two-mile thoroughfare, TFC has joined in on the megalomania with a 1,028-unit, 1.2 million-square-foot rental building that will become the second largest apartment building in the city after Moinian's SKY project a few blocks south.
More details ahead
August 25, 2015

Check Out This Affordable One-Bedroom Co-op Asking $575K on the Upper East Side

In the world of NYC real estate, the term "affordable" is all relative. $575,000 for a one-bedroom apartment isn't cheap by any means, but in New York, it is a good deal when we're talking about a prime neighborhood of Manhattan. Cue this co-op apartment now up for sale at 173 East 74th Street on the Upper East Side. It's a half-block from Lexington Avenue and three blocks from Central Park. While it isn't a huge apartment, it's well-kept and just spacious enough.
See more
August 25, 2015

INFOGRAPHIC: Ten Years of Trump

Love him or hate him, not a day goes by anymore without Donald Trump making headlines. But the Donald was turning heads and raising eyebrows long before he launched his [fill in the blank] presidential campaign. As CityRealty notes, “Over the years, Donald Trump’s buildings have commanded a premium in New York’s pricey real estate […]

August 25, 2015

Used Plastic Containers Get New Lives as Colorful Stools with ‘Tachtit’

Have you ever considered turning your plastic packaging waste into something practical for day-to-day use? A group of designers at Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design followed the waste cycle of several plastic containers at a local market and discovered that after being used just once, the vast majority went straight to the landfill. Disheartened by the wastefulness they saw, Avner Balachsan, Maya Shtrigler, Noa Rich and Yohay Alush invented "Tachtit," (which is Hebrew for "bottom," but conveniently also sounds a lot like "attached it") a series of metal legs that give large containers a second lease on life.
Learn more about these recycled stools
August 25, 2015

This $9 Device Can Save Drivers from the Much-Loathed Parking Ticket

After driving around for what seems like an eternity, you finally find a parking spot. You read all the signs, double check that there's no yellow curbs or fire hydrants nearby, feed the meter, and go on your merry way. A few hours later, you walk back up to your car and see that tiny orange rectangle (the infamous NYC parking ticket) taunting you from the windshield. If this sounds familiar, here's your chance to stop shelling out $65 for being one minute over your last quarter. AwareCar, a smartphone app and Bluetooth device, keeps drivers in check by reminding them where they parked, when the meter is expiring, and at what time they need to leave to head back to their vehicle (h/t CityLab). And all this will only set you back $9.
Find out how this genius technology works
August 25, 2015

Surfers and New Residents Clash in the Rockaways; Times Square Pedestrian Plaza Reduces Traffic Injuries

The surfing crowds are multiplying in the Rockaways, but residents of the huge new Arverne by the Sea development are eyeing the same stretch of beach. [NYT] Traffic injuries and casualties are down in Times Square since the 2009 pedestrian plaza conversion. [WSJ] And on that note, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer released a statement in […]

August 25, 2015

Estate of Huguette Clark, Famous Reclusive Heiress, Loses $95M Suit Against Beth Israel

Copper heiress Huguette Clark did not live the life of luxury like so many other wealthy New Yorkers in her shoes. The famously reclusive figure died in 2011 at the age of 104, but instead of spending her last 20 years in her palatial, Gilded-Age co-op at 907 Fifth Avenue (which was filled to the brim with her doll, dollhouse, and art collections), she decided to live in a tiny hospital room at Beth Israel. Clark admitted herself to the hospital in 1991 for operable skin cancer, but then refused to leave. According to Gothamist, her estate, "made up of nineteen of Huguette's distant relatives, a private foundation in Huguette's name, and the Corcoran Gallery in Washington D.C.," didn't buy the hospital's story and sued Beth Israel in 2013 for $95 million. The suit claimed the hospital spent millions of dollars on unnecessary medical care and by forming "fake friendships" with the heiress who was known for writing out checks on a whim to people she just met. However, last week, Manhattan Surrogate Court Justice Nora Anderson ruled that the statute of limitations had run out on the case.
More on the ruling and Huguette Clark's legacy
August 25, 2015

Experience Brooklyn Townhouse Living Without the Commitment in This Pretty Cobble Hill Rental

If you've ever harbored a certain kind of Brooklyn townhouse fantasy–but aren't ready for the responsibility (or the mortgage)–this is about as close to the dream as it gets. And though it might require a tiny bit of imagination (picture it with furniture!) this just-renovated triplex rental at 198 Warren Street checks all the boxes--charming restored original details, five bedrooms (though one is tiny) if you've got a big family or just want to share the rent, 2,500 square feet of living space, a brand-new kitchen, central A/C, and outdoor space. And you're in one of Brooklyn's most desirable enclaves in Cobble Hill on a picture-postcard block near, as the brokers say, all.
Check out the historic interiors, this way
August 24, 2015

Should Poor Neighborhoods Stay Poor to Avoid Gentrification? Mayor De Blasio Speaks Out

Recently on the Brian Lehrer radio show on WNYC, Mayor De Blasio addressed questions about the effects inclusionary development–i.e. giving developers the green light to build market rate housing if they set aside 25-30 percent of the units for low- and middle-income residents–has on the quality of life in lower-income neighborhoods. A growing concern among housing activists is that reliance on this kind of inclusionary zoning leads to gentrification that pushes out the lower income residents due to the 70-75 percent of market rate units bringing new, wealthy residents and new businesses that will cater to them.
Hear what the mayor has to say
August 24, 2015

Are You Picking Up After Your Dog? Map Shows Neighborhoods With the Worst Offenders

Remember: Don't blame the dog, blame its lazy owner. On some NYC streets, navigating the crap that covers the sidewalks can be like running a gantlet. And as this map created by The Economist shows, there are definitely some neighborhoods that have it worse than others. Compiled from complaints submitted across all the boroughs, as seen above, the shittiest nabes of 2014 include Upper Manhattan on the east side, a good deal of the Bronx, Bed-Stuy and, unsurprisingly, Bushwick, where just last year neighborhood artists were glittering the deserted turds of their furry friends in gold.
find out more here
August 24, 2015

Top Design Pro’s Impressively Renovated Bed-Stuy Brownstone Asks $2.375M

This townhouse at 806 Greene Avenue may not make much of an impression from the outside–though it sits on a pretty, historic block in the neighborhood's Stuyvesant Heights district–but a top NYC designer-helmed renovation and a double duplex layout may be what it takes to move this four-story, two-family brownstone at what would be one of the neighborhood's highest-priced trades to date if it gets its current ask of $2.375 million. At 18 feet wide (2,709 square feet total), it's a little on the narrow side, but there's plenty of space in both units by NYC standards. What makes us sit up and take notice is the sexy renovation by the home's current owner, Siobhan Barry, a partner at high profile design firm ICRAVE, whose work includes this modern Hamptons pool house and dozens of buzzy commercial projects like the W Hotel VIP lounges, Delta Airlines terminals at LaGuardia and JFK, the JetBlue terminal at JFK and jet-set nightclub Lavo, to name just a few.
Tour the townhouse here...
August 24, 2015

New Renderings Revealed for Garden-Topped High Line Jardim Condos

A new full set of renderings has surfaced from New York YIMBY revealing designs for the West Chelsea condominium project at 527 West 27th Street known as Jardim. The High Line-adjacent project, designed by Brazilian architect Isay Weinfeld, is being developed by Centaur Properties and Greyscale Development Group.
See the latest renderings
August 24, 2015

Preston Scott Cohen Builds a Brilliant Upstate Home from an Old Dutch Barn

To create the beautiful Goodman House, architect Preston Scott Cohen had to transport, restore and re-assemble a Dutch barn frame at a new location in Pine Plains, NY. The structure affords an unpolished but warm atmosphere with open-plan interiors wrapped in an industrial skin. The space was crafted to follow the client's desire for an "excessively lit space" with an "undivided interior," and as such, the home uses an ample number of slide-up screens and roll-down glass doors to make way for an open abode with a modern aesthetic.
Learn more about this contemporary barn-home
August 24, 2015

The Significance Behind the Flag Atop Cobble Hill’s Trader Joe’s; Hold the Phone – Cinnabon Now Delivers

Have you ever noticed the flag atop Trader Joe’s in Cobble Hill? Here’s the reason why the chain store flies the flag. [DNAinfo] Feeding your suburban-mall-food craving, Focus Brands (parent company to Carvel, Cinnabon and Auntie Anne’s) will now be delivering in the city starting this week. [CNN Money] A timeline of how Empire Stores went […]

August 24, 2015

A Modern Loft Asks $2.2 Million at the Historic McIntyre Co-Op Building

This modern, uniquely-designed loft comes from the McIntyre Building, an historic co-op built in 1892 by Ewen McIntyre at 874 Broadway in Flatiron. The current apartment design takes all the good things about a loft—the high ceilings and big windows—and amplifies them, creating a bright, airy apartment. If that's right up your alley, you also have the opportunity to combine this one-bedroom, which is asking $2.2 million, with another unit in the building for a total of $5.4 million. The result would be the ultimate four-bedroom, three-bathroom duplex loft apartment. But for now, let's focus on this one-bedroom...
Check it out
Pitch a story icon Know of something cool happening in New York? Let us know:
August 24, 2015

MTA Rolls Out Startling New Campaign to Reduce Railroad Crossing Accidents

In response to the tragic Metro-North Railroad crash back in February which killed six and injured over a dozen, this summer the MTA released a new campaign hoping to get pedestrians and motorists to be more aware of their surroundings when around train tracks. The campaign—made up of five posters and three videos—is illustrated in the same vein as the also recently rolled out "Courtesy Counts" posters found throughout the city's subways. But what's most surprising about the agency's railroad crossing adverts is that like those in the subway (e.g. man-spreading and poll hogging), they're all inspired by real life events.
see more of the posters and the videos here
August 22, 2015

Weekly Highlights: Top Picks from the 6sqft Staff

VIDEO: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Rats Coming up Your Toilet NeighborhoodX’s 3D Map Reveals the Blocks Where Real Estate Prices Are Soaring 22,000 New Apartments Coming to Northern Brooklyn by 2019 Soccer Star Cristiano Ronaldo Nabs $18.5M Trump Tower Loft Model and Daughter of Zipcar Founder, Cameron Russell Scoops Up a $1.5M […]

August 21, 2015

New Yorker Spotlight: 100 GATES’s Natalie Raben on Beautifying the Dreary Metal Gates of the LES

Natalie Raben spends her days thinking about closing time, specifically the gates businesses roll down when they lock up for the night. For Natalie, these metal gates represent blank canvases waiting to tell stories. And over the last several months, she has been focusing on turning them into works of art as she oversees and manages the 100 GATES Project. Natalie spends much of her time connecting interested businesses with artists to support a collaboration that creates a sense of community each evening. With a mixture of well-known artists like Buff Monster and up-and-comers making their debut, these once-bland metallic gates are livening up the area, engaging residents visually as well as inspiring conversations around the works themselves. So far over 40 gates have been completed and more will be finished later this month. We recently spoke with Natalie to learn more about this unique project and how the neighborhood is responding to it.
Read our interview with Natalie here
August 21, 2015

VIDEO: Flashback to When Times Square Was a Car-Filled Hellscape

There's currently no hotter topic in NYC than Mayor de Blasio's backwards proposal to rid Times Square of its pedestrian plazas. Because how could returning one of the city's busiest areas back to a battle between man and vehicle (and man and man) be a good idea? Let's remember the Times Square of just a few years ago, shall we? In this video filmed back in 2006, Streetsblog publisher Mark Gorton brings Danish architect and urban design consultant Jan Gehl to the center of Times Square to get his opinion on the area and his thoughts on what could be improved. The pair's fascinating conversation is punctuated with cars honking and brakes screeching, but Gehl makes his views clear despite all the distraction: “It would be completely idiotic to chase people away by giving them very poor conditions. If we are to talk about the conditions for pedestrians here, it’s really lousy... The balance is all wrong and something ought to be done to celebrate this unique place, so that more people, in a dignified way, can enjoy it."
watch the video here
August 21, 2015

Modern Magpies and Hipster Hoarders Will Flock to This Greenpoint Dream Loft

So we’re guessing there are several kinds of people this rental listing will appeal to. First, if you've been planning to film your pilot episode of “Hipster Hoarders,” your search is over. Lovers of real industrial lofts, log cabins, treehouses, birdhouses, she sheds, cowboy camping, glamping or pods in your living room: This one will go fast! In all seriousness, this 1,400 square foot three-bedroom (or whatever room you need!) loft that’s renting for $4,600 a month might not be a bargain, but it's a decent amount of lovely Greenpoint space. And if you're into lofts (and assuming this is actually a legal dwelling. Or a semi-legal dwelling with good karma), the possibilities are endless. This lovely loft is in a terrific neighborhood, near the waterfront and surrounded by cafes, quirky boutiques, bars both chic and chill, the ferry, the G train, picturesque streetscapes and lots of friendly neighbors in their super-cool cowboy-treehouse lofts. We're hoping the current tenants have found a new dream home, because clearly this listing is an invitation to Live the Dream.
This way to curated chaos
August 21, 2015

Model Agyness Deyn’s $3.6M Former Williamsburg Loft Has a Tax Bill of Just $24 a Year

A renovated 2,911 square-foot corner loft in Williamsburg's Mill Building at 85 North 3rd Street just hit the market for $3.6 million. The spacious loft condominium with dramatic open spaces and original details is the former home of Brit model Agyness Deyn, who bought the Northside pad for $1.97 million in 2008 and sold it in 2012 for $2.175M. New owners have given it a rustic-luxe update and hope to keep the upward trend going, with a current ask of $3.65 million. An expensive loft in the 'burg wouldn't faze us, (and the building has an impressive menu of amenities–doorman, garage, roof deck–for a loft), but the tax bill was a shocker: Taxes on the pricy pad are a mere–as per the listing–"unheard-of $24 a year," due to a J-51 exemption and tax abatement in effect until 2025.
Find out why the taxes are so low
August 21, 2015

Amazing Detailed Map from the 1950s Shows 300+ ‘Wonders of New York’

Click to expand >> One of a growing collection of transit maps, this cool detailed New York City map, designed by graphic designer/sailing enthusiast/IBM employee Nils Hansell sometime around 1953-1955, offers a mind boggling tableau of (mostly) Manhattan's points of interest, numbered, with a corresponding key. There's also a color-coded schematic to the subway system, which was at the time divided up by its operators, BMT, IND and IRT; the map also shows a remaining few of the city's elevated railway systems, the last of which was ended in 1955.
Check it out here
August 21, 2015

An Incredible Private Hideaway Asks $12.75 Million in the Adirondacks

The listing calls this "a private hideaway for those who seek the finest craftsmanship and location." For sure, the house at 553 Hawk Ridge Road, nicknamed Camp Big Rock, is pretty special. It's located on 30 sprawling acres near Saranac Lake, up in the Adirondacks. The modern house, designed by the architect Shope Reno Wharton, was even impressive enough to land on the cover of Architectural Digest. And there is so much more than the home: the grounds include a boathouse, beach cabin, guest house, barn, gym cabin, caretaker's cabin and tennis court. There's no "roughing it" here. This is the luxurious day camp of your dreams.
See more
August 21, 2015

Mayor de Blasio Proposes Ripping Out Times Square’s Pedestrian Plazas

There are a lot of nuisances to be found in Times Square, but apparently for Mayor de Blasio, none are as bothersome as the topless women and aggressive Elmos traipsing around the area's overly lit streets. As the NYDN reports, de Blasio and Police Commissioner Bill Bratton have formed a special task force aimed at ridding the bustling tourist destination of its "jiggly panhandlers." And the solution at the top of their list is tearing up the pedestrian plazas and letting cars back in.
Find out more on the issue here, as well as alternative plans
August 21, 2015

Clément Brazille Reinvents the Iconic Bertoia Chair with Comfortable Knitted Upholstery

Sometime ago we showed you a high-tech redesign of the iconic Eames sofa made from lightweight carbon fiber. This time we've got another classic redesigned; Harry Bertoia's beloved Wire Chair reinterpreted with a new, knitted skin. Customized with corduroy, linen, cashmere wool and cotton strips, French designer Clément Brazille's vision adds texture to the iconic seat.
Learn more about this knitted redesign
August 20, 2015

City Defends Supertalls, Won’t Limit Size of Midtown Towers

The Department of City Planning announced that although it shares residents' concerns about the effects of the new crop of supertall towers rising near Central Park, it does not intend to lower the size limits on buildings in the dense Midtown district. Crain's reports that department director Carl Weisbrod said in a written response to elected officials on August 12 that the slender structures may actually preserve historic buildings nearby and that they enhance the city's iconic skyline.
Read more on the city's response
August 20, 2015

1920s Popular Science Illustration Stacks the Future American City Like a Layered Cake

As the automobile became more widely available in the 1920s, the idea of living in the suburbs became far more appealing to Americans. Residents of large cities sought to escape increasingly crowded streets (thanks to industrialization), and with newly paved roads and auto ownership, taking on a commute was well worth the space and comfort that was paid out in return. While many urbanists and architects in the '20s predicted that suburban migrations would give way to sprawl (and it eventually did), other urban "futurists" balked at the idea of decentralization, and believed instead that Americans would be living and thriving in high-density vertical cities. Architect Harvey W. Corbett's “May Live to See, May Solve Congestion Problems” is one such proposal that sees everything from homes, offices, schools, green space and even aircraft landing fields stacked on top of each other for the ultimate metropolis.
Have a closer look at the complete plan here
August 20, 2015

Art Nerd New York’s Top Event Picks for the Week, 8/20-8/26

Manhattan gets a brand new landmark today: a fantastical undersea adventure in the form of a swirling, sparkly carousel! Katya Grokhovsky lets viewers experience the fruits of her one-month residency at Soho20, while the Guggenheim welcomes guests for a full 24 hours for Agathe Snow’s latest project. Remember why you loved New York to begin with (because of its unabashed weirdness) and go see Blazes and his light-up suit, or try on the clothing made at an exhibition called “Small Town Sex Shop.” Finish off the week by getting outside your comfort zone, and head over to Staten Island for a unique and design-fueled potluck party.
All the best events to check out here
August 20, 2015

You’ll Get Sunlight, Rooftop Memories–and Plenty of Exercise–in This Fifth Floor West Village Rental

This light-filled roost at 281 West 11th Street, available for 4-12 months, comes furnished "in a mid-century modern style." The one-bedroom walk-up is on the fifth floor, so while you don't have to worry about upstairs neighbors, you'll certainly be able to stay in shape. For an equally-steep $6,500 a month, the pre-war co-op delivers those lovely 10-foot ceilings, exposed brick walls and a wood-burning fireplace to make the whole picture even more charming. On the modern creature comforts side there's a washer dryer combo in the apartment, and a Bang & Olufsen sound system. In addition, you get dibs on a quarter of the roof. And it's in a lovely and convenient part of the West Village that looks good from any angle.
Check it out, here
August 20, 2015

New Board Game Lets You Raze and Rebuild NY; Citywide Ferry Service Plan to Be Presented Tonight

The de Blasio administration is renegotiating the terms of the redevelopment of Willets Point, Queens. [Crain’s] Why some billionaires are bad for growth. [Wonkblog] Billionaire Ken Griffin may be buying a 220 Central Park South pad. [NYP] The mysterious cottage atop an East Village building is now in contract. [Curbed] For a good time with friends and family try […]

August 20, 2015

The Phone-brella Makes Texting and Walking on Rainy Days a Cinch

Wasn't it just miserable getting to work this morning? Trying to walk, balance the umbrella, and text all at the same time? Thankfully, there are some people out there who understand this painful situation, like the folks over at Korean-based company kt. The wireless telecommunications giant developed the phone-brella, which, according to designboom, has "an ergonomic C-shaped handgrip that’s placed around the user’s wrist. The bottom half of the C pins acts as a counter-weight, balancing the object and helping the shoulder prop it up," leaving both hands free to text away.
Find out more and watch a video about phone-brella
August 20, 2015

Modernist Designer Russel Wright’s Hudson Valley Home Is a Rare Example of Organic Mid-Century Architecture

Dwell Magazine recently brought to our attention this magical modernist gem, located in the Putnam County town of Garrison, New York. Manitoga, the house, studio and 75-acre wooded garden of mid-century industrial designer Russel Wright (1904-1976), is one of the few 20th century modern homes open to the public in New York State. A firm believer in the idea that “good design is for everyone,” Russel Wright was a pioneer of the idea of modern living in America. Best known for his organic yet elegant American Modern dinnerware collection, his became a household name–one which could be found on the underside of each of the over 200 million pieces that were sold between 1939 and 1959. But the designer's lesser-known–yet no less remarkable–effort can be seen in the home and surrounding landscape–including a large abandoned granite quarry–which were acquired by Russel and Mary Wright in 1942. Now a National Historic Landmark, and virtually unchanged save ongoing improvements and renovations, the Manitoga/Russel Wright Design Center hosts tours, hikes, performances and an artists’ residency.
Find out more about Russel Wright's lesser-known masterpiece this way
August 20, 2015

Spin FAILE’s 7-Foot Prayer Wheel in Times Square; Fly Over the Most Majestic Spots in the Hamptons

Find some peace in Times Square at FAILE’s hand-carved, seven-foot tall prayer wheel installation. [Gothamist] Enjoy the Hamptons without all the popped collars in this amazing drone video. [Curbed Hamptons] A Homepolish designer works her magic on her own Columbus Circle home. [Design Milk] Good job, New Yorkers. Our most used emoji is the Statue […]

August 20, 2015

Three-Bedroom Apartment with Prewar Details Asks Just $4,400 a Month in Brooklyn Heights

Is this three-bedroom rental, at 311 Henry Street in Brooklyn Heights, cute enough for you? It's located in a brick prewar building just north of Atlantic Avenue, so the apartment interior has plenty of prewar details as well. The rent of $4,400 a month is not all that bad given the amount of rooms and the prime Brooklyn Heights location. Seems like this apartment would serve well as a sophisticated, grownup roommate share.
See the bedrooms
August 19, 2015

REVEALED: Bland Apartment Tower Replaces Karl Fischer’s Indigo Hotel Design in Downtown Brooklyn

Yesterday, we reported a staggering 22,000 residential units are on their way to the northern end of Brooklyn by 2019, 6,412 (29 percent) of which are slated for the half-square mile neighborhood of Downtown Brooklyn. Now, we have our first look at a small chunk of that count: a 105-unit residential building under construction at 237 Duffield Street, in the heart of the borough's central hub.
Find out more here
August 19, 2015

Supermodel and Daughter of Zipcar Founder, Cameron Russell Scoops Up a $1.5M Bed-Stuy Townhouse

Victoria's Secret model, TED Talk speaker, burgeoning media mogul and daughter of Zipcar founder Robin Chase, Cameron Russell has just scored herself a cover-worthy townhouse in Stuyvesant Heights. According to city records filed this afternoon, the model dropped $1.522 million on the home, paying a tad more than the original ask of $1.45 million. Featured on 6sqft previously, the three-story, multi-family property was given an update back in 2011 and boasts high-end renovations, beautifully restored details and all the Brooklyn brownstone charm one could ask for. There's even a solar array topping off the structure and a large garden to boot!
Have a closer look inside
August 19, 2015

A Gorgeous Upstate Getaway Dubbed the Mission House Is Asking $1.4 Million

Have you spent the summer dreaming about where you want to escape to in upstate New York? This listing won't make you feel any better. Called the Mission House, it is a beautiful modern mansion located in East Fishkill, a charming town on the southern border of Dutchess County, New York. The house itself is gorgeous, with stunning landscaping, modern design, and tons of space. Get this: the house covers 4,000 square feet, with an additional 2,400 square feet of decks. Of course, it isn't cheap, but you'll still get more bang for your buck up here than down in Manhattan—for the whole mansion, the asking price is $1.4 million, cheaper than many NYC apartments. (And keep reading for a way to stay here without forking over all that cash.)
Take a tour
August 19, 2015

The NYPL Is Mapping Books About NYC Neighborhoods—Add Your Favorites!

The New York Public Library is currently putting together a map of New York City neighborhoods represented in the pages of our favorite books. Novels set in the five boroughs are added to the map as readers suggest them, along with nearby landmarks and attractions so you can get your literary bearings. Currently most of the listed titles in are in Manhattan ("American Psycho" in the Financial District, "Catcher in the Rye" in Central Park, to name just a few); Team Brooklyn is looking sparse (Hello? Paul Auster?), and The Bronx, Queens and Staten Island need you!
Suggest your favorite neighborhood novels...
August 19, 2015

There’s a Spanish-Style Adobe Home in Brooklyn Heights; Heroic Food Farms to Provide Employment for Military Vets

Be transported to a Spanish villa just by looking at this unique adobe-style house in Brooklyn Heights. [Gothamist] Mister Softee may serve up summer deliciousness, but don’t mess with him when it comes to his jingle. He’s suing a rival ice cream truck for allegedly stealing the signature tune. [NYDN] Ennead Architects and RAFT Landscape Architecture plan to build a Heroic […]

August 19, 2015

POLL: Is Living Close to Work Worth Paying Extra Rent?

Last week, the Village Voice posted a video featuring recent Madison, Wisconsin transplant Grayson Altenberg, a chef at the Lincoln Center restaurant paying $1,100/month for a 100-square-foot apartment. Though the rent seems pretty ridiculous for a space that has you hanging your shoes right above your pillow, Altenberg says that the main reason he’s shelling over a […]

August 19, 2015

Park Slope Pavilion Condo Plans Met With Resistance From Neighbors, Landmarks Commission

Hidrock Realty, developer of a five-story condo building next to the historic Pavilion Theater on Prospect Park West, was told by the Landmarks Preservation Commision to make changes to the proposed design after neighbors expressed concerns, DNAinfo reports. Park Slope neighbors in attendance at an LPC hearing Tuesday voiced disapproval for the Morris Adjmi-designed five-story beige brick residential building, fearing that it would "open the door to out-of-character development up and down Prospect Park West."
Find out what the neighbors are afraid of
August 19, 2015

This Flatiron Rental Offers Classic Loft Living, Modern Luxury, and Curious Built-Ins

Back in the 20th century, before luxury loft condos were a thing, artists, heiresses and the adventurous lived large in city lofts, and while the artists needed the square footage for living and working, others enjoyed the idea of carving out living areas in a cavernous open space with ceilings so high you almost couldn't see them, and windows almost as big. It was a world of (private) freight elevators and DIY kitchens (the look of which today's high end kitchens emulate). This Flatiron loft at 10 East 18th Street offers a hangar-esque 2,700 square feet of living space accessed by private keyed elevator; exposed brick walls are lined with oversized windows and there are plenty of custom-built luxuries that are more professionally-crafted than DIY; though there's no floor plan, it's listed as having two bedrooms and 2.5 baths. There are also more modern comforts than you'd find in an old-school loft, such as a wine cooler, central air and a Bosch washer-dryer–and there's a totally 21st century price tag of $14,000 a month.
Take a look around this huge loft
August 18, 2015

22,000 New Apartments Coming to Northern Brooklyn by 2019

We recently reported that New York City was entering its biggest building boom since 1963. Building permits rose 156 percent over the last year, accounting for 52,618 new residential units. If that number seems large to you, keep in mind it's spread over the five boroughs, including the supertall towers of Manhattan. But a new report from CityRealty shows that northern Brooklyn alone with get 22,000 new apartments over the next four years. According to the report, which only looked at buildings with 20 or more units, "around 2,700 new units are expected to be delivered in 2015. That number will nearly double in 2016, when approximately 5,000 apartments will be ready for occupancy." The majority of these units, 29 percent or 6,412 apartments, will come to Downtown Brooklyn, followed by Williamsburg with 20 percent or 4,341 units.
More on the Brooklyn building boom
August 18, 2015

VIDEO: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Rats Coming up Your Toilet

Warning: Explicit rat footage ahead. If you don't already live in fear of rats taking over your apartment, you will after this. A new video from National Geographic shows exactly how these rodents make their way up your toilet bowl, which is apparently quite a common city occurrence, according to Gothamist. Though we're used to seeing them scamper around near the garbage bins, rats are pretty aquatically adept; they can tread water for three days and stay underwater without breathing for three minutes. Plus, their ribs are hinged at the spine, meaning they can fit through even the narrowest of pipes.
Watch the video here if you dare
August 18, 2015

‘Exceptional Quirks’ and Reclaimed Materials Abound in This Historic Williamsburg Church Conversion

One of the neighborhood's oldest landmarks, the Saint Vincent De Paul Church at 167 North Sixth Street in Williamsburg's uber-trendy North Side was recently converted into 40 rental apartments known as the Spire Lofts. We know that converted churches get people's attention at the very least–but like many historic building conversions, they can be a disappointment. The apartments here don't try to be especially historic–but the interiors differ somewhat from the usual boilerplate rental "lofts" that tend to spring up like weeds in North Brooklyn. The building's recently-listed batch of two- and three-bedrooms ranges from $6,400 to $8,000 (the spoken-for one-bedrooms started at $4k), so they're pricey. The interiors are somewhat innovative, though. The listing promises "...modern details and state-of-the-art finishes [that] blend flawlessly with expertly salvaged materials, including original exposed brick, reclaimed Heart Pine pillars and beams, arched stained glass windows, custom steel work and exceptional quirks around every corner." On the down side, there's no floor plan and no mention of square footage.
Take a look at the loft-style interiors, this way

Our Mission

More than just current events, here you'll learn about the places, people, and ideas that are shaping your city.